The Village Church - LaCombe, LA

The Committee on Missions & Evangelism
(We call ourselves The Fellowship Bunch!)

The Village Church Operating Procedure Manual defines our primary responsibilities as the planning, promotion and execution of an on-going evangelism program both in the congregation and in the community. This is a pretty tall order, but we believe that with the help and guidance of
The Holy Spirit we will be able to do just that!

We are working to de-mystify this scary thing called “evangelism”, and began by rc-naming ourselves “THE FELLOWSHIP BUNCH.”
This is an appropriate name since we are
basically dealing with these relationships:

Our relationship with God
Our relationships with family and friends
Our relationships with the community

We also plan and execute various activities, with an annual fellowship/fund-raising auction expected to be a major event.

We use monthly dinner meetings for planning and as a discussion forum to help
with the understanding of HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE FOLLOW
CHRIST’S DIRECTIVE TO SPREAD HIS GOSPEL, AND TO UNDERSTAND
THAT IT JUST AIN’T THAT TOUGH TO DO!

Our meetings are on the first Monday of each month,
they’re held at church, we start dinner promptly
at 7:00 PM and are finished NO LATER THAN 9:00 PM.

IF YOU ARE BETWEEN
THE AGES OF
16 AND 92,
ENJOY GOOD FOOD,
ENJOY GOOD COMPANY,
LIKE STIMULATING DISCUSSIONS,
AND LIKE TO BE PART OF WHAT’S HAPPENING...
COME VISIT AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK!

Just call John Carver @ 373-7314 to let him
know you’re coming so he’ll know how many
people to prepare food for.
(CHURCH MEMBERSHIP NOT REQUIRED!)

Get Ready, Northshore!!

      Mark your calendar for November 12! That's the evening for The Second Annual Village Church Celebrity Auction! Arthur Hardy, the creator of the acclaimed Arthur Hardy's Mardi Gras Guide will be our “Celebrity in the Spotlight” and will share some of his vast knowledge of Mardi Gras with us!
      If last year can be any kind of gauge of what to expect for this year, get ready for some great items to bid on, and above all, be ready for a whopping good time! At the end of last year's auction, everyone said they were really looking forward to this year! Well, it's almost here! (All proceeds are used to fund operations of the Outreach and Fellowship Board.)
      There will be a Silent Auction starting at 6:00 PM which will feature around 150 to 175 items followed by a Live Auction starting at 7:45. We will have the same professional Auctioneer, Penny Mutz who will conduct the live auction portion which will consist of 30 separate items. Included are: a four night stay for 8 at a beautiful cabin in the Smokey Mountains; a seven night stay for 8 in a georgeous 12th floor condo overlooking the Gulf of Mexico in Perdido Key, FL; a New Orleans Saints jersey autographed by nine Superbowl players; several hotel stays; Carnival Ball tickets; a lovely fireplace mantle; various restaurant Gift Certificates, a precious puppy, etc.
      Refreshments including jambalya, mini-muffelettas, fruit, and cheeses will be available along with free soft drinks & water, and $1 wine & $1 beer. Since alcohol will be served, the auction will be for adults only.
      Admission will be $15 per person and $25 per couple. Seating is limited to only 128, and tickets will be available first come, first serve. Call John Carver at 985-373-7314 for reservations--see ya there!

IT'S TIME!

It's time for The Village Church - Lutheran to come out of hiding!

We're a little over 21 years old now, so our church has reached adult status! We have an active Baptized Membership of 366 and Communicant Membership of 253 and are located in the unincorporated village of Lacombe in South Louisiana about eight miles from anywhere!

But we are ALIVE in The Spirit! For example, let's look at at an overview of the Lenten Season. We started with an Ash Wednesday Service that anointed with oil instead of applying ashes. Succeeding Wednesdays were celebrated with our regular fellowship meals; following the meals, we explored facets of the Small Catechism each week.

Friday nights there were fish, shrimp, and soft-shell crab dinners prepared for both members and the public--a total of over 1,300 meals served! Our Mobile Kitchen also fixed another 650+ seafood dinners for a New Orleans Church to help them raise money.

We then conducted a Community Easter Eggztravaganza and opened with a really neat devotion entitled “Ressurection Eggs” to which the children listened intently. Next, the kids hunted for, and found, 1,600 eggs! There were games, refreshments, a fire engine and crash truck to explore, and each child had a picture taken with The Easter Bunny!

Each child also received a coloring book with tear-outs which told the story of Christ's death and resurrection. There were over 125 children and their parents in attendance, and we estimate that about 20% were members. All of this was free to the public.

But The Good Friday program was very special. Our Choir presented The Good Friday Drama, “Whispers of the Passion”. The 300+ attendees entered and exited the church in silence for this very beautiful and moving performance.

Easter Sunday's three services were then witnessed by over 420 individuals--our largest single day attendance!

Our Mobile Kitchen just completed a 1,300+ mile trip to Concordia Seminary in St. Louis where the chefs prepared Southern and South Louisiana-style dinners for both the Seminary Graduates/Vicars AND the Faculty (we brought all the food with us)!

Other forthcoming outreach events include a golf tournament, a church picnic, Vacation Bible School, an Oktoberfest, and a Living Nativity for the Christmas Season. If you're anywhere in South Louisiana come and join us! Even if you're NOT in South Louisiana, it's worth the trip!!

Village Church Outreach!

About 4 months ago the Outreach & Fellowship Committee started a Bible Class each Tuesday night at the Lacombe Nursing Center. The class is led by Peggy Chiasson and assisted by her husband, George. At the beginning, there were 5 to 7 residents in attendance, and the number has grown to an average of about 12.

On Sunday August 7 Peggy took our Sunday School kids and several adults to the Nursing Center for Bible study. The kids made paper flowers for the residents, and also sang some songs. There were 17 young people and about 7 adults who went, and residents who packed the room thoroughly enjoyed the experience! The Administrator said it was a wonderful day for the residents, and we would be welcome to do this as often as we could. (The next Tuesday Bible Class had 18 attendees!)

I was at the Home this week for the Tuesday night meeting and noticed that the flowers we brought were still proudly displayed in vases in the main meeting room!

All Village Church members (or anyone who is interested) are welcome to come and just visit during the class--you will find it to be a rewarding experience. It's at 6:30 PM each Tuesday.

Committee of Missions and Evangelism: Procedure Manual Update

At itʼs July meeting, The Fellowship Bunch passed a motion recommending that the

Church Council takes the following action:

Replace ALL existing verbiage on pages 15 and 16 of ”The Village Church Operating

Procedure Manual” which describes the Committee of Missions and Evangelism and it's

operations with the following:

“Committee on Outreach and Fellowship”

This Committee shall have a chairman, elected by the Congregation, whose term of office shall be for one year and who shall represent the Committee at all Church Council and Congregation meetings. The Committee shall have at least five additional members, shall meet monthly, and have the following responsibilities:

Plan, promote and carry out activities in and for the benefit of the community. Examples are:

A community Easter Egg Hunt, Bible classes at the nursing home, Senior Center lunches, etc.

Equip members to share Christ's love with others

Equip members to invite visitors to both worship and church events. Members would be encouraged to attend these events along with their guests.

If worship visitors are friends, invite them to an Outreach and Fellowship meeting.

Likewise, repeat visitors to the church should be invited to attend these meetings.

Encourage other Village Church members or friends to meet with/join our group.

Plan, promote and carry out Bible study/fellowship activities for the congregation.

These activities can include Bible Study programs, church picnics, new member receptions, pot luck dinners, etc.

Plan, promote and carry out at least one major fellowship/fund raising event each year to support both in-house and external needs.

The above was approved at the last Congregation Meeting on August 7 and is now part of “The Village Church Operating Procedure Manual.”

First Annual
Village Church
Celebrity Auction
December 4, 2010

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